84 HOLING OUT It’s golf, but not as we know it. The first season of TGL, a techdriven golf league developed in collaboration with the PGA Tour, starts in January 2025. Teams led by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and others will play in head-to-head matches in the purpose-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, over virtual hole designs created by Pizá Golf, Beau Welling Design and Nicklaus Design. Players will tee off into a 64 by 53-foot screen before turning towards a rotating green complex for approach shots – which can be played from a variety of surfaces depending on the outcome of the previous shot. Motorised actuators under the green surface transform undulations for each hole. The architects have designed 30 holes in total and 15 will be selected for each match and placed in a unique order to form that night’s ‘course’. TGL has teased some of the new hole designs, including The Plank (pictured) and The Serpent, by Agustín Pizá. “Teams will need to walk The Plank as they navigate this uphill hole with tricky diagonal bunkering,” he says. “For this 380-yard par four, it could be tempting for teams to go for the driver, but three pot bunkers narrow the landing area adding risk to the aggressive play. If less than a driver is chosen off the tee, a well-placed tee shot still leaves a short approach and great chance at birdie. The Serpent is a par five that snakes from the tees to a green defended by water, with penalty areas squeezing both sides the entire length of the hole. “Getting home in two is in play but likely requires a gutsy blind shot into the green,” says Pizá. “With water protecting the front, the safer alternative is to play Serpent in three.” Welling’s creations include Quick Draw, a par five where players hit to a plateau rising from the canyon floor, while the Nicklaus Design holes include Cliffhanger, a par three playing over an ocean cove to a green surrounded by rocks and cypress trees. Coming soon to the big screen The new TGL golf league tees off in January 2025 on virtual holes created by three design firms. Image: Pizá Golf
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